This invention relates generally to power systems such as three-phase power systems and, more specifically, relates to transformers for these power systems.
This section is intended to provide a background or context to the invention disclosed below. The description herein may include concepts that could be pursued, but are not necessarily ones that have been previously conceived, implemented or described. Therefore, unless otherwise explicitly indicated herein, what is described in this section is not prior art to the description in this application and is not admitted to be prior art by inclusion in this section.
Three-phase power systems use transformers for purposes such as voltage modification, e.g., to increase or decrease voltage. The more a transformer is loaded, the faster the transformer ages. An increased load will cause temperatures of certain portions of the transformer to rise. As temperature rises, the insulation in the transformer degrades. This degradation is a sign that the transformer is aging.
Typical transformers used in three-phase systems have three phases (A,B,C), each with a different load on the phase. The phases can degrade at different rates because of this load variation. Once a phase begins to degrade, transformer performance suffers. After some amount of degradation on a phase, the transformer will have to be replaced.